JP6025619B2 - Column cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a column cover.

  Conventionally, a vehicle is provided with a column cover to cover a steering column that supports a steering wheel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This column cover includes a cylindrical exposed portion and a non-exposed portion coupled to the vehicle front end side of the exposed portion. The exposed portion is disposed between the vehicle front side of the steering wheel and the front surface of the instrument panel. The non-exposed portion is disposed through an insertion hole provided in the front surface of the instrument panel from the vehicle front end side of the exposed portion.

  In the column cover of Patent Document 1, a fragile portion is provided on the vehicle front side above the exposed portion. When a large force is applied to the steering wheel in front of the vehicle due to a collision from the front or the like, and the column cover receives an impact from the rear of the vehicle, the non-exposed portion hits the front of the instrument panel. Then, the weak part starts from the upper part of the column cover. As a result, the column cover absorbs the impact and stably suppresses the reaction force.

JP 2004-123017 A

  However, since the fragile portion of Patent Document 1 is formed by providing a groove on the back surface of the exposed portion, glossy unevenness occurs on the surface of the exposed portion due to the groove when the column cover is molded. Therefore, the column cover of Patent Document 1 does not have a good appearance. Therefore, in the market, there is a demand for a column cover that can stably suppress a reaction force even when subjected to an impact while suppressing a decrease in appearance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and provides a column cover that can stably suppress reaction force even under impact while suppressing deterioration in appearance. Objective.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have adopted the following column cover in order to solve the above problems.

The column cover of the present invention includes a cylindrical exposed portion that is disposed between the vehicle front side of the steering wheel and the front surface of the instrument panel and is exposed to the vehicle interior, and the insertion from the exposed portion to the front surface of the instrument panel. bent so as to enter the hole, and a cylindrical non-exposed portion extending toward the instrument panel, the non-exposed portion hits the front surface of the instrument panel when impacted from the rear of the vehicle A column cover formed as follows:
The vehicle rear end of the non-exposed portion and the vehicle front end of the exposed portion are coupled via a first fragile portion that extends in the circumferential direction and is formed at a corner portion,
Before SL The vehicle rear side of the first weak portion and the second fragile portion of the exposed portion is provided to extend in the circumferential direction,
The second fragile portion is formed in a thin shape with a recessed back surface of the exposed portion, and the first fragile portion is formed more fragile than the second fragile portion.

  The column cover of the present invention is provided with the thin-walled second weakened portion in the exposed portion that affects the appearance. This suppresses the occurrence of uneven gloss on the surface of the exposed portion when the column cover is molded. Furthermore, the 1st weak part weaker than the 2nd weak part was provided in the non-exposed part which does not affect an external appearance. As a result, when the column cover receives an impact from the rear of the vehicle, the non-exposed part hits the front of the instrument panel and breaks from the first fragile part to absorb the impact, and then the exposed part cracks from the second fragile part to absorb the impact. Or bend from the second fragile portion to absorb the impact. Therefore, the column cover of the present invention can stably suppress the reaction force even when subjected to an impact while suppressing the deterioration of the appearance quality.

It is the schematic which shows the vehicle interior front part of one embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the AA line of FIG. It is a reverse view of the upper cover of the column cover of the embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the BB line of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the C section of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the D section of FIG. It is a figure which shows a change when the impact is received from the vehicle rear in the upper cover of the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a front part of a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the present invention. An instrument panel 101 is disposed in the front part of the vehicle interior. A steering wheel 102 is arranged on the right side of the instrument panel 101.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The instrument panel 101 includes a top panel 111 that forms the top surface 101a, a front panel 112 that forms the front surface 101b (a surface facing the vehicle interior I), and a bottom panel 113 that forms the bottom surface 101c.

  The front panel 112 includes a first front panel 114 that forms an upper portion, and a second front panel 115 that forms a lower portion. The upper end of the first front panel 114 is coupled to the front end of the top panel 111. The upper end of the second front panel 115 is coupled to the lower end of the first front panel 114.

  An insertion hole 116 is formed between the second front panel 115 and the bottom panel 113. A third front panel 117 is coupled to the lower surface of the second front panel 115.

  The third front panel 117 includes a flat portion 117a extending from the surface of the second front panel 115 toward the vehicle interior I, and a bent portion 117b bent downward from the front end of the flat portion 117a.

  One end of a steering shaft 103 (shown by a two-dot chain line) is fixed to the front end side of the steering wheel 102 in the vehicle. The steering shaft 103 is disposed through the insertion hole 116 of the instrument panel 101.

  The steering shaft 103 is covered with a cylindrical steering column 104 (shown by a two-dot chain line). The steering column 104 supports the steering shaft 103 so as to be rotatable. Further, the steering column 104 is disposed through the insertion hole 116 of the instrument panel 101.

  The steering column 104 is covered with the column cover 1. The column cover 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction E. Further, the column cover 1 is arranged such that the vehicle rear end side is fixed to the steering wheel 102 and the vehicle front side enters the insertion hole 116 of the instrument panel 101.

  Further, the column cover 1 includes an upper cover 2 that forms an upper half and a lower cover 3 that forms a lower half. The upper cover 2 is shorter than the lower cover 3 in the vehicle longitudinal direction E. The column cover 1 is formed by joining the lower end portion of the upper cover 2 and the upper end portion of the lower cover 3.

  The lower cover 3 includes an exposed portion 31 exposed to the vehicle interior I and a non-exposed portion 32 not exposed to the vehicle interior I.

  The exposed portion 31 is provided between the vehicle front side of the steering wheel 102 and the lower portion of the front surface 101b of the instrument panel 101 (upper side of the bottom panel 113). The exposed portion 31 includes an attachment portion 311 fixed to the steering column 104 in the vicinity of the vehicle front end side of the steering wheel 102, and a flat portion 312 coupled to the attachment portion 311 and extending forward of the vehicle. The attachment portion 311 is formed by bending upward from the rear end of the flat portion 312 and further extending rearward of the vehicle.

  The non-exposed part 32 is coupled to the vehicle front end side of the flat part 312 of the exposed part 31 and is disposed in the insertion hole 116 of the instrument panel 101. The non-exposed portion 32 includes a flat portion 321 that extends from the vehicle front end side of the flat portion 312 to the front of the vehicle, and a bent portion 322 that is bent downward from the vehicle front end side of the flat portion 321.

  The upper cover 2 includes an exposed portion 21 exposed to the vehicle interior I and a non-exposed portion 22 not exposed to the vehicle interior I.

  The exposed portion 1 a of the column cover 1 is formed by the exposed portion 21 of the upper cover 2 and the exposed portion 31 of the lower cover 3. The non-exposed portion 1 b of the column cover 1 is formed by the non-exposed portion 22 of the upper cover 2 and the non-exposed portion 32 of the lower cover 3.

  The exposed portion 21 is provided between the front side of the steering wheel 102 and the front surface 101b of the instrument panel 101 (the bent portion 117b of the third front panel 117). The exposed portion 21 includes a mounting portion 211 that is fixed to the steering column 104 in the vicinity of the front end side of the steering wheel 102 and a flat portion 212 that is coupled to the mounting portion 211 and extends forward of the vehicle. The attachment portion 211 is formed by being bent downward from the rear end of the flat portion 212 and further extending rearward of the vehicle.

  The non-exposed portion 22 is disposed in the insertion hole 116 of the instrument panel 101 by being coupled to the vehicle front end side of the flat portion 212 of the exposed portion 21. The non-exposed portion 22 is bent in an L shape from the flat portion 212 side toward the front of the vehicle. Further, the non-exposed portion 22 includes a bent portion 221 bent downward so as to enter the insertion hole 116 from the vehicle front end side of the flat portion 212, and a flat portion 222 extending forward from the lower end of the bent portion 221 to the vehicle. It has. A vehicle front end portion 222a of the flat surface portion 222 is bent upward.

  3 is a rear view of the upper cover 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. The upper cover 2 is provided with three weak parts according to the present invention (a first weak part 231, a second weak part 232, and a pair of third weak parts 233, 233). The configuration of each vulnerable part is described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first fragile portion 231 is formed at a corner portion (corner portion) formed by the upper end portion of the bent portion 221 of the non-exposed portion 22 and the front end portion of the flat portion 212 of the exposed portion 21. ing. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a groove 2311 is provided on the back surface 2a of the first fragile portion 231 so as to extend from the left end to the right end of the back surface 2a in the left-right direction (the circumferential direction of the column cover 1).

  The groove 2311 has a V-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. The bottom 2311 a of the groove 2311 is set so as to be shifted from the center of the groove 2311 toward the exposed portion 21. The first fragile portion 231 is formed to be fragile by the groove 2311 so that the thickness 231a is thinner than the thickness 2b of the surrounding portion.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the second fragile portion 232 is provided in the exposed portion 21 on the vehicle rear side of the first fragile portion 231. The second fragile portion 232 is provided in the flat portion 212 of the exposed portion 21 so as to extend in the left and right (circumferential direction of the column cover 1) at an intermediate portion of the upper portion 21a in the vehicle longitudinal direction E.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a gentle recess 2321 is provided on the back surface 2 a of the second fragile portion 232 so as to extend from side to side (in the circumferential direction of the column cover 1). The recess 2321 is formed in a V shape having a gentle cross section. The bottom 2321 a of the recess 2321 is set to match the center of the recess 2321. The second fragile portion 232 is formed to be fragile by the concave portion 2321 so that the thickness 232a is formed in a shape (thin shape) thinner than the thickness 2b of the surrounding portion.

  Further, the recess 2321 has a wider recess angle (V-shaped angle) than the groove 2311 of the first fragile portion 231. As a result, the second fragile portion 232 receives the impact more dispersedly than the first fragile portion 231, and is therefore stronger than the first fragile portion 231.

  In other words, the groove 2311 of the first fragile portion 231 has a dent angle (V-shaped angle) set narrower than the recess portion 2321 of the second fragile portion 232. As a result, the first fragile portion 231 is more fragile than the second fragile portion 232 because the first fragile portion 231 receives impact more concentratedly than the second fragile portion 232.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the third fragile portions 233 and 233 are coupled to the left and right ends of the second fragile portion 232, and extend from the left and right ends of the upper portion 21a of the exposed portion 21 to the lower portions of the left and right side portions 21b and 21b. It has been. V-shaped grooves 2331 and 2331 are provided on the back surface 2a of the third fragile portions 233 and 233 so as to extend left and right (in the circumferential direction of the column cover 1). The third fragile portions 233 and 233 are formed to be fragile by the grooves 2331 and 2331 so that the thickness thereof is thinner than the thickness of the surrounding portion.

  Further, the grooves 2331 and 2331 are set so that the recess angle (V-shaped angle) is narrower than the recess 2321 of the second fragile portion 232. Accordingly, the third fragile portions 233 and 233 are formed to be more fragile than the second fragile portion 232 because the third fragile portions 233 and 233 receive impacts more concentrated than the second fragile portion 232.

  Further, the grooves 2331 and 2331 are set to have a wider dent angle (V-shaped angle) than the groove 2311 of the first fragile portion 231. As a result, the third fragile portions 233 and 233 receive impacts more dispersedly than the first fragile portions 231, and thus are stronger than the first fragile portions 231.

  Changes in the upper cover 2 of the column cover 1 configured as described above when receiving an impact from the rear of the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.

  When a large force is applied to the steering wheel 102 forward of the vehicle due to a collision from the front or the like, and the upper cover 2 receives an impact P from the rear of the vehicle as shown in FIG. The fragile portion 231 (the upper end portion of the bent portion 221) hits the bent portion 117b of the third front panel 117 of the instrument panel 101.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7B, the non-exposed portion 22 breaks from the first fragile portion 231 and absorbs the impact. Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 7B to 7C, the exposed portion 21 breaks from the second fragile portion 232 and absorbs the impact P.

  As described above, the column cover 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with the first fragile portion 231 that is weaker than the second fragile portion 232 in the non-exposed portion 22 of the upper cover 2 that does not affect the appearance. However, the reaction force can be stably suppressed.

  Moreover, in the column cover 1 of this Embodiment, the 2nd weak part 232 was formed in the thin shape in which the back surface 2a was dented in the exposed part 21 which affects an external appearance. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven luster on the surface 2c (see FIG. 4) of the exposed portion 21 when the column cover 1 (upper cover 2) is molded. Therefore, the column cover 1 of the present embodiment can stably suppress the reaction force even when receiving the impact P, while suppressing the deterioration of the appearance quality.

  In addition, third fragile portions 233 and 233 are coupled to the left and right ends of the second fragile portion 232. Since the third fragile portions 233 and 233 are stronger than the first fragile portion 231, the third fragile portions 233 and 233 do not hinder the cracking of the non-exposed portion 22 at the time of impact.

  Furthermore, since the third fragile portions 233 and 233 are more fragile than the second fragile portion 232, a crack is generated before the second fragile portion 232 at the time of impact. The second fragile portion 232 can easily generate a crack under the influence of the crack generated in the third fragile portions 233 and 233. For this reason, the exposed portion 21 can be easily broken, and the impact P can be easily absorbed.

  Furthermore, since the 3rd weak parts 233,233 are provided in the left-right side parts 21b and 21b of the upper cover 2, it can also suppress that an external appearance is affected. Therefore, the column cover 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the reaction force more stably even when receiving the impact P while suppressing the deterioration of the appearance quality.

  Further, the upper end portion of the bent portion 221 of the non-exposed portion 22 is a contactable portion that hits the front surface 101b of the instrument panel 101 when the column cover 1 receives an impact from the rear of the vehicle. Moreover, since this part is also the 1st weak part 231, it becomes easy to generate | occur | produce a crack. For this reason, the non-exposed portion 22 can be easily broken, and the impact P can be absorbed more easily. Therefore, the column cover 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the reaction force even more stably even when receiving the impact P.

  Furthermore, since the upper end part of the bending part 221 is also a part bend | folded from the exposed part 21, it is also a part originally weak compared with another part. Therefore, it becomes more and more fragile by making this portion the first fragile portion 231. For this reason, it becomes possible to break the non-exposed part 22 more easily, and it becomes possible to absorb an impact further easily. Therefore, the column cover 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the reaction force even more stably even when receiving the impact P.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment which concerns on this invention was illustrated, these embodiment does not limit the content of this invention. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.

  For example, in the column cover 1 of the present embodiment, the three weak portions 231 to 233 are provided in the upper cover 2, but may be provided in the lower cover 3 and both the covers 2 and 3 in the same manner as in the embodiment. When the second fragile portion 232 is provided on the exposed portion 31 of the lower cover 3, it may be provided on the lower side (not shown) of the flat portion 312 of the lower cover 3 as in the case of the upper cover 2. .

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the column cover 1 that includes two members (the upper cover 2 and the lower cover 3). However, the present invention may also be applied to a column cover 1 configured as a single unit or a column cover 1 configured from three or more members.

  Further, in the column cover 1 of the present embodiment, the groove 2311 is provided on the back surface 2a of the non-exposed portion 22 so as to extend to the left and right to form the first fragile portion 231, but the surface 2c of the non-exposed portion 22 The first fragile portion may be formed by providing grooves on the front surface 2c and the back surface 2a of the exposed portion 22 so as to extend left and right. Further, the first fragile portion may be formed by providing a large number of depressions arranged side by side on at least one of the front surface 2c or the back surface 2a of the non-exposed portion 22.

  Further, in the column cover 1 of the present embodiment, a contactable portion (upper end portion of the bent portion 221) that hits the front surface 101b of the instrument panel 101 when receiving an impact from the rear of the vehicle is set as the first fragile portion 231. did. However, the 1st weak part 231 does not necessarily need to be this part, for example, you may set it in the vicinity of this part.

  Further, in the column cover 1 of the present embodiment, the third fragile portion 233 is coupled to both the left and right ends of the second fragile portion 232, but may be coupled to one of the left and right ends.

  As described above, the column cover of the present invention can stably suppress the reaction force even when subjected to an impact while suppressing a decrease in appearance. Therefore, the column cover of the present invention can be fully utilized in the technical field of column covers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Column cover 1a Exposed part 1b Unexposed part 2 Upper cover 2a Back surface 21 Exposed part 21a Upper part 22 Unexposed part 101 Instrument panel 101b Front surface 102 Steering wheel 116 Insertion hole 117 3rd front panel 231 1st weak part (folding) Top edge)
232 2nd weak part 233 3rd weak part I Car interior P Impact

Claims (4)

A cylindrical exposed portion that is disposed between the vehicle front side of the steering wheel and the front surface of the instrument panel and is exposed in the vehicle interior;
Wherein the vehicle front end of the exposed portion instrument panel bent so as to enter the insertion holes in the front of, and a cylindrical non-exposed portion extending toward the instrument panel,
A column cover formed so that the non-exposed part hits the front surface of the instrument panel when receiving an impact from the rear of the vehicle,
The vehicle rear end of the non-exposed portion and the vehicle front end of the exposed portion are coupled via a first fragile portion that extends in the circumferential direction and is formed at a corner portion,
Before SL The vehicle rear side of the first weak portion and the second fragile portion of the exposed portion is provided to extend in the circumferential direction,
The column cover according to claim 1, wherein the second fragile portion is formed in a thin shape in which a back surface of the exposed portion is recessed, and the first fragile portion is formed more fragile than the second fragile portion. The column cover according to claim 1,
The second fragile part is provided on at least one of the upper part or the lower part of the exposed part, and at least one of the left and right ends of the second fragile part is stronger than the first fragile part and the A column cover characterized in that a third fragile portion formed to be weaker than the second fragile portion is provided in combination. In the column cover according to claim 1 or 2,
The column cover according to claim 1, wherein the first fragile portion is provided in a contactable portion of the non-exposed portion that contacts the front surface of the instrument panel when the column cover receives an impact from the rear of the vehicle. The column cover according to claim 3,
The non-exposed portion has a bent portion bent so as to enter the insertion hole from the vehicle front end side of the exposed portion, and one end portion of the bent portion connected to the exposed portion can be contacted A column cover characterized in that the column cover is a portion where the first fragile portion is set.